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Mogador, Essaouira
Located on the Atlantic coast in the area of Diabat this development will measure in the region of 5,700.000 m2. The main features of this development are sure to be the two Gary Player golf courses. One of 36 holes the other 18. The hotels, riads, villas, golf academy and practice course are laid out along the two spectacular courses facing the sea.
The fortified town of Essaouira was known as Mogador when the Portuguese occupied the town in the 15th century and is soon to be home to the Azur plan development of the same name.
It is one of the most popular towns along the coast. of the Atlantic with its picture postcard sights.
This fishing town is filled with white washed houses finished with blue shutters and its blue and white fishing boats are moored alongside the fortified harbour where the local fishermen leave every morning, row out to sea and cast their nets. They return later in the evening to collect their catch and return with their boats laden with an assortment of fresh fish.
Essaouira is a maze of narrow streets where you can witness master craftsmen, in the doorways, producing intricate, lace, wood carvings. These craftsmen preserve a skill which dates back centuries.
The town owes a majority of its charm to the relaxed atmosphere, temperate climate and wide sandy beaches that stretch for 6 miles to the sand dunes.
The medina (old town) is a protected, UNESCO world heritage site.
Essaouira attracts a variety of different types of travellers from surfers who come for the excellent surf to artists and film producers.
Orson Wells filmed Othello on the fortress ramparts and Oliver Stone’s Alexander the Great was recently filmed in the town.
The town is also a magnet for musicians. Bob Marley and Jimmy Hendrix both came to Essaouira in the 60’s where it was said that Jimmy wrote his song “castles made of sand”. Music plays an important part in the town’s history and in July a week long festival includes music from local musicians as well as those from across the world.
Music types range from Genoa music, which sends some people into a trance and draws its roots from the music of black slaves, to jazz.
The town is For a truly original experience travel to the countryside just outside of Essaouira to search for the goats that are famed for climbing trees. They climb the Argon trees in droves to eat the Argon berries.
also good for bird watching, the Eleanoras Falcons can be seen on the Ile De Mogador, an island just off the coast.
The falcons come to breed before making their return journey to Madagascar. Other birds spotted include brown throated sand martins, gulls and terns.
The Argon trees found in the ancient forests have fruits that are hand picked. The inner nuts are then pressed to release the valuable oil used for cosmetics and cooking. So important is the Argon forests ecosystem that UNESCO has declared a huge area north of Agadir a biosphere reserve.
Take a trip to the museum in Essaouira, once the residence of Sultan Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah. The Sultan was responsible for renaming the town Essaouira after 1541 when the Portuguese were expelled from the town.
The Sultan had the town redesigned by French architect, Theodore Cornut, so that it could become a centre for foreign trade between Timbuktu and Europe.
The town remained Essaouira until it was occupied by the French in 1912 when it reverted back to Mogador then back to Essaouira in 1956 when Morocco gained independence.
Morocco had a large population of Jews, living in the Melluah quarters, most left in 1947 for the State of Israel. There is however, still a Jewish community of approx 30,000 living in Morocco today.
No visit to Morocco is complete without a trip to the souk (market). Here you can purchase all manner of items from satirical postcards, designed by local artist Hamid Boutali to quality carpets and rugs or the highly sought after skin lamps.
There are plenty of top quality restaurants serving great food and wine
Some have live music many have set menus that are very reasonably priced.
Entertainment is very low key. Head for the main square which plays host to random concerts or the kitsch Orson Wells bar.
Many Europeans, including a great deal of artists, have been enchanted by Essaouira and have invested in Medina properties.
Some estimates suggest as many as 20% of the medina properties are owned by Europeans, mainly French but with an increasing amount of Brits.
This expat influence has created a cosmopolitan feel to the town.
Many parts of the pedestrian only medina are being renovated, with new hotels and trendy restaurants sprouting up everywhere.
Just on the outskirts of Essaouira is a town called Diabat which became famous after a visit from Jimmy Hendrix in the 60’s. It is here that another of the government backed, Azur plan developments, will be built.
This will be an upmarket resort with;
• Quality Hotels and Conference Centres
• Golf Courses
• Riads, Villas and Low Rise Apartments
• Equestrian centre
• Thalassotherapy Centre
• Beach Clubs
• Restaurants and Coffee Shops Parks and Gardens
This resort will be built whilst also preserving the character of the area.
Currently there are no direct flights from the UK to Essaouira. For those wishing to travel by air the best route is a flight to Casablanca then onto Essaouira with Royal Air Maroc.
For those happy to do a little driving (and possibly the easiest route) take a charter flight to Agadir and Essaouira is an 1 Hour and 45 minute drive.
Nearby developments include: Mogador
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